H&J Smith shuts up shop, focuses on going mega

Mitre 10 Wanaka: part of a growth surge of large-format retail outlets. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Tue, 06 Jun 2023

The demise of H&J Smith department stores is both a hangover of pandemic impacts on the retail sector and a symptom of the physical shift to ‘big box’ shopping.The closure of the 123-year-old retailer’s three stores in Invercargill, Gore and Queenstown, with the loss of 220 jobs, was signalled last month and is likely to be completed by Nov 18. The family-owned group locked the doors on its Dunedin, Mosgiel, Balclutha and Te Anau shops in 2020.That effectively leaves two independent players in the traditional departme...

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